by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

BALTIMORE - Ray Lewis let a golden opportunity slip through his arms, but his Baltimore Ravens clinched a trip to the second round of the NFL playoffs just the same.

A 24-9 victory against the visiting Indianapolis Colts ensures at least one more stop on the postseason farewell tour of Lewis, the middle linebacker who announced his plans to retire four days before the playoff opener and 11 weeks after surgery to repair a torn triceps.

The win might have appeared even more convincing if not for Lewis dropping a sure second-quarter interception on a misfire from rookie Colts quarterback Andrew Luck deep in Indianapolis territory. Lewis, 37, did follow through on 13 tackles, and the defense eventually did pick off Luck, who needed to chase down Ravens cornerback Cary Williams to prevent a fourth-quarter touchdown return.

Sunday was Lewis' final home game with the team that drafted him 26th overall in 1996, and it came with all the fanfare one might expect from one of the league's most colorful figures. Wearing a black brace on his right arm, Lewis performed his convulsing pregame dance to Nelly's 2002 hit Hot in Herre. Three hours later, with the Ravens ready to kneel the clock away, Lewis took the field at tailback and performed the dance one more time at midfield.

It's been 12 seasons since the Lewis-led Ravens trounced the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV, and with Wednesday's timely announcement, the Ravens resolved to win another for Ray.

"It's another chapter in his life that he's about to close," said Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata last week. "And I think here as the Ravens, we all want to do our best to help him close it the best he can."

To do that, the Ravens will have to go through the Denver Broncos, a team which embarrassed Baltimore 34-17 in Week 15 of the regular season. Former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning passed for 204 yards and a touchdown that Sunday as the Ravens struggled to put consistent pressure on the passer.

That wasn't a problem Sunday vs. Indianapolis, as the Ravens collected three sacks and batted away 12 passes. Linebacker Paul Kruger had 2½ of those takedowns, abusing rookie right tackle Bradley Sowell for much of the second half.

On the other side of the ball, Ravens running back Ray Rice disappointed with two lost fumbles, but wide receiver Anquan Boldin turned in a slew of big plays, catching passes of 50 and 46 yards before hauling in an 18-yard Joe Flacco touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give Baltimore its final margin of victory. Boldin finished with five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown and now has an opportunity to make amends for his zero-catch outing vs. Denver in December.

Flacco, in his 10th playoff start since being drafted in 2008, passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns to push his postseason record to 6-4. Luck, Flacco's rookie counterpart, passed for 288 yards with a pick in his playoff debut after leading the Colts to an 11-5 regular season finish and a nine-win improvement from last year.